Nigeria Trains 360 Doctors To Combat Maternal Mortality

The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) and National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) have trained over 220 resident doctors and 140 consultants in advanced obstetric skills to improve emergency care for pregnant women.

Stakeholders disclosed this at an event to mark the conclusion of the costed extension phase of the Global Health Workforce Programme (GHWP) Local Grant 130, which has strengthened emergency obstetric, newborn care, and surgical skills training for resident doctors nationwide.

Founder and President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), former first lady of Kwara State, Mrs Toyin Saraki, emphasised the programme’s role in tackling Nigeria’s maternal health crisis:

“We stand at a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s maternal and neonatal health journey. By building a cadre of well-trained obstetric clinicians and integrating life-saving skills into the national curriculum, we are addressing one of the critical delays in care, the shortage of skilled healthcare professionals at delivery.

“When we saw the impact of this training in Kwara State, reducing mortality and birth injuries, it became our dream to scale it nationally.

“Today, we celebrate its inclusion in Nigeria’s medical curriculum. The challenge now is sustaining these gains and ensuring every medical worker interacting with pregnant women receives this training,” she said.

Chairman of the Faculty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), Professor Ayodeji Oluwole, explained the programme’s hands-on approach:

“You cannot practice on a live woman without first mastering skills on mannequins. This training has equipped our doctors with advanced techniques, and in five years, we expect a dramatic drop in preventable maternal deaths.

“The whole essence is to reduce the unfavourable and terrifying maternal death figures in Nigeria and Africa. We have trained about 220 resident doctors and 140 consultants across all six geopolitical zones.

“Right now, resident doctors are undergoing training at the National Hospital Abuja; this is crucial for achieving the federal government’s maternal health objectives,” he said.

Professor Sanusi Ibrahim from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital highlighted regional disparities, noting that in Northern Nigeria, maternal mortality remains alarmingly high.

“This programme has empowered resident doctors, the frontline workforce, with life-saving skills.

“But sustained progress requires government commitment, policy enforcement, and community education to combat harmful cultural beliefs.

He said that with the training now integrated into Nigeria’s medical curriculum, they are calling for continued funding, nationwide scaling, and stronger policy enforcement to ensure lasting improvements in maternal healthcare.